How a “No Contract” Business Model Preserved our Clients for more than a Decade

In this 21st Century, where everything is technologically advanced; where the latest trend is outdated in only a few months, it is important to give people every opportunity to explore whatever they desire. A technologist might want to say ‘I have built something, which would satisfy all people for decades.’ If this were true, Apple would have stopped at Lisa or would have never launched another iPhone after iPhone 1st gen. Furthermore, we would have never experienced the True Color HD TV, if we had settled for our Black and White Television sets. Basically, when everything is growing and expanding aggressively around us, it is also important to give the customers the freedom and flexibility to choose what they want.

We have to understand “Contracts”

A Contract is a voluntary, deliberate, and legally binding agreement between two or more parties, mostly, between a party that supplies and the other that receives. Here, we are discussing the basics of the contract between any HealthCare IT organization and a provider. To understand this in a lame language, I would like to use the example of a cellular device. You enter into a contract with a service provider; however, you are not contracted to the cell phone because the hardware can be upgraded or downgraded anytime. However, the service is necessary to allow the device to function and will not have the flexibility of change within the contract duration. The reason is very simple here, if your cell phone stops working at any point of the contract or is damaged for any reason, you are not going to carry it for 2 years until your contract ends. When it comes to the service of the device, many people are continuously working aggressively and competitively to provide you network access wherever you go, so a contract will solidify the employment opportunities within an organization and in essence, create a better future for its customers and employees.

When iPatientCare started thinking from a Provider’s point of view, we decided to stick to this same pattern, irrespective of the business models of our competitors. We avoid a strict contract clause for our Physician-Clients providing the flexibility for a true partnership and growth. Subsequently, it worked for us! Forget a 3-year or a 5-year contract; our Physician-clients are dedicated and pleased to have been using our Technology product and services for over ten years and counting, without any contract.

Here’s why!

iPatientCare always thought everything from a Physician’s perspective. The Doctors spent their entire lives learning the anatomy of a human body, and practice enough to keep themselves up to date in the medical field. Just as we are dependent on them for all our health-related issues, they are also dependent on Healthcare IT companies for software related concerns. They have a world around their own profession, and we understand that it is too difficult for them to explore an in-depth technology like an EHR. Here is the normal Sales flow between any EHR Vendor and a Physician.

At iPatientCare, we too follow the same sales flow, except we never ask any Doctor to sign any contract with us. EHR and PMS are technology products and are custom built as per the doctor’s requirements. We understand that they would not be able to experience all of the benefits of an EHR with one or two demonstrations. We offer a no obligation 15-day trial to utilize our EHR. Although we know that Doctors will only be able to see or use the “creamy” layer of any EHR, they are able to take an advantage of this experience to better understand the characteristics and decide whether or not it is beneficial to their current and future workflow.

When we try to have a conversation with some Doctors, who are not our Physician-Clients, they tell us about the limitations of the product they are using currently. These Physicians go back to their EHR vendors and request changes or enhancements that are customized to their practice requirements. Few customizations do help them; however, most of the time, they do not get all of the required help. Maybe, on a long stretch, the Physicians do get help from their EHR Companies and they sometimes are not satisfied with the results. Another huge drawback is encountered with the numerous amount of bugs within the system. A “technical” bug occasionally is fine; however, it is an inconvenience for a doctor to have to address numerous tickets almost every day.

With Technology going beyond expertise, even the levels of problems are going beyond. There are unforeseen problems, where the providers are going through. They entrust a technology partner for years and when they decide to get into their contract routine; they wake up to news like this. With providers constantly thinking about how to better serve their patients and keeping abreast with the latest technology changes, they sometimes detach from their EHR vendors, and they get to know of news like these.

“We come unbidden into this life, and if we are lucky we find a purpose beyond starvation, misery, and early death which, lest we forget, is the common lot. I grew up and I found my purpose and it was to become a physician. My intent wasn’t to save the world as much as to heal myself. Few doctors will admit this, certainly not young ones, but subconsciously, in entering the profession, we must believe that ministering to others will heal our woundedness. And it can. but it can also deepen the wound.”

― Abraham Verghese, Cutting for Stone

Providers understand responsibility better than privilege, and practice accountability better than business. It is very important to understand that providers have an ethical duty to follow the practice and standards of care. Providers keenly believe that healthcare isn’t defined by the four walls in which it’s practiced; instead, it’s defined by the people for whom and by whom it is delivered. I guess We, the HealthCare IT Organizations, are defined “By Whom”. And, this is a calling for us to serve our healthcare providers.

In my previous article, I wrote about Physician’s Burnout, which explains the lack of time the Physician has even to meet his own family. The Physicians are the only kind of professionals on Earth, who do not have a target based job; yet are always on their toes at work. All of these multiplies when you’re a Clinic owner. Would you have that kind of time to hire an attorney, or take rounds in the court every month, only because you want to change your EHR? Or, would you just prefer to wait for your contract to expire and sacrifice the quality of your data?

Many clients are willing to stay with iPatientCare because of its “No Contract” business model. They have a clear idea that in a longer run, if there is no balance between them and iPatientCare then they could walk out without any hassle. However, this happens very rarely, since we take maximum efforts from our end to help our Physician Clients. We removed the Fear from them, because we are confident enough to deliver and exceed their expectations. It takes a lot of courage to run this business model, and this is what our Physician-Clients love about iPatientCare. We have taken their frustrations and challenges into considerations and answered them with a technological solution.

The way that iPatientCare works is simple. We do not have a contract clause for our Physician-Clients. We ask our clients to give us a 90-day notice period if they decide to discontinue services with iPatientCare. When it comes to the RCM Services from iPatientCare, we ask our Physician Clients to sign a bond for at least 1 year due to the necessary time of addressing receivables and other necessary items to ensure a seamless process. iPatientCare offers an array of options and a team of dedicated and experienced professionals to our clients to ensure that not only we form a partnership but that we grow your revenues and portfolio as well.

Come be a part of our “No Contract” clause at iPatientCare, Inc. Contact us today!

Sijo George is iPatientCare’s Account Manager for most practices and is an proficient in navigation through sales and marketing processes. He is an expert in demonstrating iPatientCare technology products like the Electronic Health Record, Medical Billing Software and Patient Engagement. His deep insight of iPatientCare services like Revenue Cycle Management and MACRA has been an asset for iPatientCare Customers. Sijo has evolved as a one-point contact for most iPatientCare customers, related to any projects entrusted by them. He moves along with the Physicians from the inception till submission. One of the key factors, most iPatientCare clients like about Sijo is that he is easily approachable and empathetic with the Physicians. Sijo is also professional in translating the Technological language of the products to a clear usability words of the Physicians.

About Us

iPatientCare, Inc. is a privately held medical informatics company based at Old Bridge, New Jersey. It is known as a pioneer and one of the top ten most respected healthcare IT organizations nationally for its Cloud-based EHR and unified products suite.